


Wild Goose Chase

by starknight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Soulmate Goose of Enforcement, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Clueless Harry Potter, Declarations Of Love, Eventual Happy Ending, Good Draco Malfoy, Literally one person gets chased around by a goose until they admit their feelings, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 21:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14656485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starknight/pseuds/starknight
Summary: When Harry walks in on Draco crying in the bathroom, a strange animal appears and stops their deadly duel...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea of the Soulmate Goose of Enforcement from a great chat with some other ao3 users! Thank you for the inspiration, and I can't wait to continue this fic and give it the justice it deserves. I hope this is going to be a very cute, fluffy, and funny time for everyone. My first ever Drarry fic, so let me know how I do... Enjoy!

Draco remembered when he was very young, being sat down by his father to have ‘the talk’. Not the talk about sex, but about bringing honour to the Malfoy line. His family duty. And most importantly, avoiding shame and scandal.

He tried, oh, he tried so hard. He knew he had to act like he was a higher calibre of wizard, and he was, he knew it. But when that dratted Potter turned him away on the first day, choosing instead to associate with Weasel and that Mudblood girl… 

Well, that was when the problem all started.

 

Draco woke up early near the end of term. He had nearly finished his sixth year. He couldn’t wait to get out of school, to finally have freedom and do things on his own terms. Maybe move to Bulgaria.  _ Anywhere’s better than here, _ he sulked to himself.

Of course, the black skull on his arm was a slight problem.

He dressed himself smartly in his freshly-pressed robes, using the dust-siphoning charm his mother had taught him so long ago to ensure they were thoroughly clean. His hair lay flat with some Sleekeazy’s hair gel (applied daily), and his shoes were shining brightly with a little-known Malfoy polishing charm. This was the Draco Malfoy that everyone knew, and he wasn’t about to let his polished exterior look dull or fade. Just because his stomach was wrapped in tight coils around itself - just because the Dark Lord himself was still waiting for Draco to kill Dumbledore…

He shook off the thought. His mother had told him very firmly to  _ stay alive _ and  _ keep up appearances, _ and he intended to do just that. He marched down to breakfast with a lofty air, nodding curtly to the other Slytherin purebloods.

 

During his study period, he went to the Room of Hidden Things again. He clenched his jaw and stared at the Vanishing Cabinet, wondering, not for the last time, if it would ever work again. He pulled a green apple out of his robes and placed it in the cabinet, closing the door gently. He laid his wand over the lock and chanted gently,  _ “Itineranturia. Itineranturia. Itineranturia.” _ The cabinet wobbled slightly, a slight gust leaking out the crack in the door. He peered through it, and his heart leapt when he saw the apple was gone! Could it be working this time? All he had done was re-establish the protective wards over the hinges… That couldn’t be it… Could it?! He grinned wildly and laid his wand in the same position, willing it to work.  _ “Revenite. Revenite. REVENITE!” _

He opened the door slowly.

_ Fuck. _

The apple had returned, but sliced clean into seven slices. They wobbled with the cabinet, and Draco groaned. It was too much.

He referred back to the book he had nicked out of the restricted section. The magic was based on the simple vanishing charm  _ evanesco, _ except instead of vanishing it to the void… Vanishing it back into something else. Basically. Draco still didn’t fully understand it himself… It was like one of the cabinets was a copy of itself from the void. 

_ Oh. _

Maybe that was it!

In which case, then the travelling charm was entirely the wrong way of going about it. It would result in a splinching of sorts - could that be the slicing he had seen? Upon further reflection, he thought it was worth a shot. 

He got out another green apple from his pocket (Undetectably extended, of course. What if he ran out of apples?). He placed it in the vanishing cabinet, having eaten all the other apple slices while thinking. His wand automatically found the position again after so much practice, and he whispered  _ “Evanesco.” _

The cabinet vanished, and Draco felt a distinct tug at his magic from having vanished such a large item. He waited expectantly for the other cabinet to replace this one. It should work! Surely. They were like opposite sides of a piece of paper; flip one over, and you were presented with the other…

But if it didn’t work that way, and he had just  _ vanished _ his only chance at avoiding the Dark Lord’s wrath…

Draco felt the world drop away from him, and he screamed in pain.

 

That was how he ended up bent over the sink, with no one to talk to but Moaning Myrtle. “Don’t,” she crooned gently. Strange, but it helped as he sobbed. “Don’t… Tell me what’s wrong… I can help you…”

“No one can help me,” he heaved, shaking all over. “I can’t do it… I can’t… It won’t work… And unless I do it soon… He says he’ll kill me…” 

He clutched at the basin for support, his grief and anger at his stupid, stupid life taking over. Everything was so much easier when he could just make snide remarks and hate Potter in peace. But now, he couldn’t even find it within him to hate the boy anymore… They were just stuck on different sides of the same battle. It wasn’t his fault, with his endearing green eyes and messy hair, that he was stuck on the losing side. Draco cried harder as he fought the feelings that had been bubbling away all year, about that  _ stupid Potter boy, _ how would his  _ father _ feel if he  _ knew -  _

Draco looked up and saw him in the mirror, standing right there in the doorway He whipped around and drew his wand automatically, raising to fire - 

_ Honk! _

In his shock, Draco forgot to fire the  _ tarantallegra _ jinx and stared at the goose that had appeared - literally appeared out of nowhere - between them. Then he felt his ankle fly upwards, and he was hanging upside down. His wand clattered onto the floor and he cursed himself silently for loosening his grip.

“I - what?” God, Potter couldn’t ever close his mouth, could he? That perfect, pink mouth… “Is that a goose?”

_ Honk! _ The beast flapped its wings menacingly at Potter, advancing on him. 

“Aargh!” It charged and bit at his legs, going right past him and blocking the exit. “Malfoy! Did you do this?! What in the name of Merlin’s saggy left -” but at that the goose charged again, raising its wings above its head.

Draco had thought there was very little that could make his day brighter, but watching Potter get chased around the bathroom by a goose while being held aloft in relative safety was doing the trick nicely. Moaning Myrtle cackled in glee, floating above Potter and watching the spectacle. Eventually the boy got it into his head to  _ use his wand _ and started firing hexes. 

_ “Immobulus!” _

“It’s too big for that, you thickhead!” Draco called.

“Oh, fine…  _ Petrificus Totalus!” _

But that didn’t work either. Interesting.

_ “Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!” _

“If it didn’t work the first time, Potter, it’s not likely to work the second or third,” Draco drawled lazily. This was the best thing that had happened in weeks. And to think he’d been sobbing his eyes out just a few moments ago! Perhaps if he shared his memories of this with the Dark Lord, he wouldn’t kill him, just for the laugh.

_ “Evanesco! Reducio! Protego!” _ Well, he was creative, Draco had to give him that. It would have been entertaining if the goose had really shrunk down to a tiny size. But it didn’t. Somehow, it seemed, the goose was… magic-resistant…?

Oh, God.

Oh, no.

Draco hadn’t recognized it for what it was because he was too busy being  _ thick _ and watching Potter’s forehead bead with sweat from exertion, his hair falling onto his damn-near-perfect face. It was the Soulmate Goose of Enforcement.

The Soulmate Goose of Enforcement was a funny creature, appearing in what were considered the most hopeless cases of the most destined soulmates ever to be. It would appear if both parties were inwardly extremely willing, but the external circumstances… well… made it difficult. The Goose was said to chase the soulmates around until this problem had been fixed.

And that meant, that meant… That meant that Potter must be pining well too much on that Weasley girl.

He smacked his forehead with his hand - surprisingly hard to do in midair - and sighed. Well, that was just perfect. 

“Potter,” he called. “Potter, let me down! I know how to fix this.” 

The boy looked up in shock and flicked his wand slightly. Draco felt the invisible support around his ankle disappear and he fell onto the stone floor none too gently.

“Oh - erm, sorry, Dra - Malfoy - erm -,” Potter stuttered. Draco stared at him as he got up, Goose forgotten for the moment.

“Were you about to call me  _ Draco, _ Potter?”

“Draco  _ Potter? _ No?” 

“I meant - oh - bloody hippogriff,” Draco cursed as the goose pecked the back of his knee sharply, causing him to fall forwards. He fell onto the floor hard (again!), almost crashing into Potter. “I thought the Soulmate Goose was for you!”

“I’m sorry, the… the  _ Soulmate Goose???” _ Myrtle gasped and started roaring with laughter in the background. Of course, Potter would have no idea what a Soulmate Goose was. He probably didn’t even know true soulmates existed. Probably didn’t even know how undeniably attractive he was right now -

“Yes, Potter. Ask your Granger friend about it when she bothers you, alright? And if you tell anyone what you saw here, I’ll - I’ll hex your face off.” It didn’t sound as threatening as it did childish, but Potter just raised an eyebrow and nodded as Draco made his escape out of the bathroom. 

The Goose followed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco and Harry both have sleepless nights, and breakfast turns out to be no less peaceful.

The Goose did not go away by evening, nor by the next day. It followed Draco around, pecking at his heels incessantly and  _ honk _ ing just when he really didn’t need to be honked at. Somehow it found its way into the Room of Hidden Things, even when he slammed the door on it. It ate off his plate at dinner time, and bit his arm with its savage goose teeth when he tried to shield his plate. Worse, it didn’t seem to care about Harry -  _ Potter, _ he mentally corrected himself - anymore! He even tried to nudge it in Ha- Potter’s direction after dinner. The Goose had just given him as scathing a look as a Goose could give.

And when they had gone up to the dorms to sleep… Well, after hours of being nipped at by the Goose while trying to finish his lousy Transfiguration homework, he had given up. He had so been praying the Goose wouldn’t follow him, but much to his fellow Slytherin’s amusement, it did. 

“Got a crush, Draco?” Blaise sniggered. Draco just shot him a  _ look. _ Yesterday, a look would have been enough to quieten the rest of them, but today, it just wasn’t enough. 

“I think Parkinson’s expecting you,” Montague laughed.

Sure enough, Pansy Parkinson had her own gaggle of admirers in the corner, and was shooting Draco furtive glances. He groaned. Really, she should know better. If he were pining after  _ Pansy Parkinson  _ \- and who would? - he could just go and get her. Harry Potter, on the other hand…

As if the Goose could read his mind, it brushed his arm with its wing almost affectionately.

“I’m getting  _ goosebumps  _ just being around you!” Blaise exclaimed. Draco snapped.

“That’s enough, Zabini. I don’t care for your jokes, your attitude, or quite frankly, you.” He used his coldest, most arrogant tone and straightened his neck as he said it. A quick non-verbal  _ frigideiro _ sent an ominous icy wind towards the troublemaker.

There were some perks to being the Malfoy heir, and other people knowing to obey you automatically was one of them. No further comments were made by Zabini, at least.   

Wizard God, but Draco hoped that the Goose wasn’t really for him. He had thought it was for  _ Potter… _ Unless Draco himself… Perhaps he was meant to try and get Potter and girl Weasley together. The Soulmate Goose was known to work in mysterious ways, after all.

Even so, what the hell was Draco so important for that the Goose had to honk all night long? It tore at his sheets, eventually ripping right through them. The other boys didn’t make any comment - they knew better than that, after all - but shuffling and sighing led Draco to believe they weren’t getting any more sleep than him.  _ Silencio _ didn’t work. Nor did anything else. He was even tempted to try  _ crucio _ when it hit three A.M… 

He passed out an hour later from sleep deprivation, only to be woken by the magically amplified chime of the grandfather clock in their dorm at seven thirty on the dot.

_ “Honk,” _ the Goose said cheerfully.

 

\---

 

Harry lay in a fitful doze that night, sliding in and out of sleep. It wasn’t so much the usual pains in his scar, but the events of the day that bothered him… Malfoy had been  _ crying, _ and crying to Moaning Myrtle of all people. It was bizarre.

And it sort of proved his point.

Malfoy had never seemed very worried before, being the arrogant sod he was. He was petty, yes, but he would never show weakness like that if he didn’t really mean it. Something had to have happened this year, something terrible that had stressed him so much he was driven to tears.

What else could it be, but the burden of service to Voldemort?

Even if Hermione thought he was off his rocker, Harry was determined that he was right. And since he was, then… Malfoy must be carrying out some plan of Voldemort’s, which was where he was spending all his time.

At around three am, Harry woke up and checked his watch. Almost out of habit now, he got out the map and looked for the label  _ Draco Malfoy. _ He was in the Slytherin dorm now, but - what was that next to him? The map had drawn a tiny sketch of a - a goose? That goose from the bathroom was still hanging around?

Malfoy had told him to ask Hermione, so next day at breakfast that’s exactly what he did.

 

“The  _ Soulmate Goose?  _ You have a Soulmate Goose?”

Hermione looked almost appalled, and Ron equally so.

“Uh… Well, I think Malfoy has it, actually. Look.” Sure enough, as Malfoy entered the hall, there was the Goose right behind him, cheerfully pecking at his shoes.

There was a slight lull in the usual loud noise of breakfasting as he crossed to the Slytherin table and slumped onto a bench. Harry watched him go. He looked a lot more ruffled and hasty than usual, his eternally-neat hair sticking up at the back a little and his robes crumpled.

Draco looked his way and Harry didn’t have time to avert his eyes as their gazes met. He accidentally let go of his mouthful of pumpkin juice, and he just caught sight of Malfoy’s sneer as he jumped to clean it up.

Hermione was looking at Harry with an odd expression.

“Didn’t you hear  _ anything _ I just said?”

“Huh? Oh - um, oh yeah… No, not really. Sorry, Hermione.”

Ron exchanged a glance with her, and then went back to sniggering at the Goose trying to join in on Malfoy’s toast.

“Well, what I  _ said _ was, the Soulmate Goose only appears in exceptional circumstances. Two people have to be so perfectly suited to one another, and so obsessed, that they simply have to be together. But there’s an obstacle of some sort that they’ll just never get around - and the Goose appears to bring them together. It’ll literally attack them for the rest of their lives until they get together. If you ask me, it’s the sort of magic that doesn’t go hand in hand with human rights -”

“Thank you, SPEW leader,” Ron grumbled. “The Soulmate Goose is one of the oldest magics ever, though, it’s in all the old stories. Mum used to pray it would never come to us. Supposed to be a sign that you can’t get your act together.”

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione and began laughing. It was one of the most ridiculous things he had ever heard. A Goose that magically appeared to bring lovers together? It wasn’t exactly a romantic animal. A cherub would’ve been better, or a Pygmy Puff… 

“So - so let’s get this straight. A Soulmate Goose has come specifically for  Dra-  _ Malfoy? _ I mean, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time. He and Parkinson must really be hitting it off.” He snorted at the idea. 

Hermione didn’t look so sure.

“But Harry, didn’t you say… It was chasing you? Around the bathroom?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s obviously latched onto Draco now.”

“I’m  _ sorry?  _ Since when is Malfoy  _ Draco?” _ Ron demanded.

“Oh - sorry, I meant Malfoy. Anyway, it must have mistaken me for him or something.” Harry brushed it off. The Goose had spent a lot longer chasing after Malfoy now. And yet… If the Soulmate Goose was a constant of the universe, it didn’t seem likely it would make mistakes. He shrugged it off as something to think about later.

However, when they made to leave the Great Hall, something odd happened. Malfoy had, by the looks of things, been frustrated enough with the Goose to leave at the same time Harry, Ron and Hermione did. When they came close in the entrance hall, the Goose started to go berserk. It bit at Malfoy far more aggressively than it had done; it began flapping around, clipping Malfoy on the ear; and finally it flew up and, with surprising agility, dive-bombed at Harry so that he was forced to lunge out of the way to avoid another scar on his head. As luck would have it, he toppled directly into Draco during his fall, knocking the taller boy to the ground. 

With a thump, he landed on Draco’s chest, their noses brushing momentarily as he caught himself. Suddenly, clear blue eyes were gazing into his and he felt something - a hidden creature deep within him - begin to purr in… pleasure?

Then Draco snapped, “Watch where you’re going, Chosen One. Wouldn’t want to stumble into places you aren’t wanted,” and the moment was gone. Harry awkwardly scrambled to his feet, only to look around and see the Goose watching the two boys with beady eyes. Ron and Hermione were just staring at them, agape, and didn’t move until Harry started up the stairs. He caught a glimpse of Draco hurrying down the hallway beneath them, probably to fix up that adorably messy hair, and realized the Goose had stopped chasing after him.

The Soulmate Goose, it appeared, was now chasing Harry instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there it is. The purpose of this fic is to enjoy myself, and I hope you enjoy reading it. This has been a great stress-relieving break for me!
> 
> I'm eager to see what you think, too, leave a comment if you think this is an enjoyable soulmate trope :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dumbledore has some interesting advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while! Exams and assignments had me deaded. Hope you enjoy <3

Draco, still lying on the floor, watched in disbelief as the Goose hot-tailed it after Potter. The damned thing couldn’t have changed its mind  _ again? _ He groaned and let himself lie there pathetically for a beat before pushing himself to his feet.

This entire thing was ridiculous and he wished he was young enough that he still believed his father could somehow fix it.

“Malfoy, could we, erm, have a word?” Granger was approaching him cautiously. Weaselbee, behind her, stared and backed behind a tapestry. Wise Weaselbee.

“Granger,” he acknowledged with a nod. “You may have ten words, in fact, if you’ll leave me alone after that.”

She briefly raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Draco wondered briefly if this feeling was what Harry and Weasley were subjected to daily. Maybe this feeling of internal disappointment was the reason they still passed.

“Fine.  _ Why is a Soulmate Goose following you and Harry?” _

Inwardly marvelling that she had spoken exactly ten words on the fly, Draco shrugged.

“I guess we’re Soulmates with a capital S.” A muffled choking sound came from the tapestry. “Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted?”

She rolled her eyes.

“Not with quite that much  _ sass, _ but I’ll take it. So you agree? You and Harry are Soulmates?”

Draco spluttered for a moment. “I - I - Granger, it was a  _ joke _ -”

She regarded him with a cool stare.

“I’m going to pretend that you’re not as stupid as you obviously are, and tell you that if you play around with Harry’s feelings…” Her wand hand twitched slightly and Draco jumped. Hermione was  _ scary _ when she wanted to be. He almost forgot to be offended by her insult. After a silence, she nodded and stalked away.

The weasel poked his head out as she was done talking and followed, not even looking at Draco.

There were times like this he was incredibly glad he knew occlumency. He imagined what the Dark Lord would say, if he could see this memory… A high pitched cackle echoed in his head and he shuddered.

 

\---

 

_ This is not happening. This is definitely, absolutely in triplicate not happening. _

And yet the Goose chased him on and on down the corridor, pecking at his heels, flapping at his ankles in a clear attempt to make him turn back. He could feel his control wavering as frustration and confusion lapped at him. To make it worse, it was Defence Against the Dark Arts first today. Snape was continually insufferable in the class, and they were supposed to be doing more work on non-verbal spells today. Without the aid of Felix, Harry was still pretty bad at them. How was he going to concentrate with the Goose flapping around?

As he hurried down the passage and turned a corner, a familiar voice greeted him.

“There you are, Harry!” Hermione exclaimed, pulling him behind a suit of armor. “I need to talk to you.”

“Not  _ now,  _ ‘Mione, can’t it wait?”

“No it can’t. Look, you know the Soulmate Goose?” With terrible timing, the Goose flew to the top of the armor and began clipping him over the head with its wings.

“Do I  _ know  _ it? Really? Ah!”

“Oh, there’s no need to be snarky, Harry. Look, there’s really no question as to what it means-”

“Snarky? I’m not - ah! - snarky! In case you’d forgotten, I’ve got a bit riding on my shoulders this year - not this stupid  _ Goose _ but literally the entire wizarding world! OW! So I’m  _ sorry _ if I’m  _ preoccupied _ but I need to focus on the - bloody hell -  _ horcruxes  _ -”

“Then go on and yell about it for the whole castle to hear!”

Harry looked around nervously, relieved when there appeared to be no one around.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “At least, you’re right about the anger - BLOODY GOOSE - thing. Not the soulmate thing!”

“Oh, Harry,” Hermione said fondly. “You’re such an idiot. Just think about it.”

“Yeah, yeah - OW!”

 

He did think about it. All through classes, he thought and thought and thought until the only thing he could think of was how his head might burst with the stress of it all. Though that could be the Goose’s torments. The only things he knew for certain was that: Malfoy was  _ definitely _ up to something suspicious; the Soulmate Goose had turned up just in time to stop him and Malfoy fighting; and it wouldn’t leave them alone despite them obviously not being soulmates.

So what was it there for?

A sudden chill came over Harry as he thought it through that night, lying in his comfy four poster bed, having his ear tickled with the Goose beak. The timing was just too suspicious. It had to be Voldemort’s doing!

 

“You may have a point, Harry,” Dumbledore conceded. “Indeed, if it were any other animal, in these dark times a thorough examination would be held… Perhaps an animagus or a conjured creature. However, it would have to be very powerfully conjured to last this long and act so realistically…”

“So it’s  _ not _ a Soulmate Goose!” Harry said triumphantly. He was sitting across from the elderly man, both of them in long dressing gowns (though Dumbledore’s was kept in much better condition).

“Well…”

“Well what?” Harry demanded.

“We must not jump to conclusions without evidence.”

The Goose HONKed in affirmation, hopping up onto the desk and pecking Harry’s cheek.

“May I?” Dumbledore asked, raising his wand. Not sure exactly what he needed Harry’s permission for, Harry nodded.

_ “Revelio!” _

Nothing.

_ “Finite!” _

Still nothing.

_ “Homonunclus Revelio!” _

A wave passed over the room, and Dumbledore frowned.

_ “Finite incantatem!” _

Nothing again. The wise old wizard frowned, and hitched up his sleeves. He began to make odd little unpicking motions with his wand, moving his mouth but no sound coming out. The Goose looked at him strangely, but still nothing happened. Finally - 

_ “Avada Kedavra!” _

Harry jumped backwards at the curse and fell off his chair, landing painfully on his elbows.  _ What? _

“Professor! Are you - professor?”

“I do apologise, Harry,” Dumbledore said with intent blue eyes. “A warning would not have helped, I fear. This is a remarkable creature indeed. It is not an animagus, nor is it conjured. It is not transfigured, or born, or even really alive in the way that we know things. Do you remember the Mirror of Erised?”

Harry got to his feet slowly, and nodded. 

“It is a funny thing in that way. It is similar; a constant of the universe. This Goose has been hardwired, if you will, into the fabric of our reality. It is either the most existent thing that has ever been, or it does not truly exist in the meaning we understand. I do not fully appreciate its nature myself. It is not Good nor Evil, neither Friend nor Foul - if you’ll excuse the pun - no, Harry. This is the Soulmate Goose itself.”

Harry stared. It wasn’t a creation sent by Voldemort, then. He wasn’t in danger. So why did he feel so… Disappointed?

“So… I have a soulmate.” It was not a question. Dumbledore nodded anyway.

“Yes, Harry.”

“But I’m not…”  _ I’m not gay, _ is what he wanted to say.  _ I don’t like Draco Malfoy, _ he wanted to say.

“Love is the most mysterious force of all, Harry. Someday you will come closer to understanding that than I ever could, if you treat this right.”

“What do you mean?” Honestly, if the Headmaster could bring himself not to answer everything so cryptically, Harry’s life would be a lot simpler.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. “I, too, once had a Soulmate Goose. I was a little older than you. I had just left Hogwarts, and I met… the most  _ beautiful _ person I have ever known.”

“Is she… Did she die?” Harry asked nervously.

“He isn’t dead, Harry, but our connection is.” Dumbledore looked very sad and worn down, and for the first time, Harry thought how old he looked.

“I’m sorry, professor.”

“Thank you.”

They sat in silence for a while, even the Goose having the sensitivity to quiet down a bit. Harry still couldn’t even  _ think _ about - no, it was too much for him.  _ Draco Malfoy??? _

“You know, Harry, I would encourage you to follow your instincts. Not your grudge or feelings left over from six years ago, but your feelings now. Listen to them. I did a terrible thing - I broke the connection - it was all ruined, and my soulmate… Well. He became my greatest enemy.”

_ “Voldemort?!” _ Harry gasped. It was too much. “But - but he was a student! He was -” he stared at Dumbledore, aghast. “That’s illegal!”

Dumbledore looked briefly shocked and then chuckled. “Not Voldemort, Harry. I don’t know if you have heard of Grindelwald?”

Harry thought. The name was familiar… But he couldn’t place it.

“I don’t think so.”

“Suffice to say, he was the beginning of a terrible war. I do not want you to go down the same path. The Soulmate Goose is a constant of the universe, and to break it is a terrible thing. That was what lead to millions being slaughtered…”

The old man’s eyes glistened and Harry suddenly felt very awkward. 

“Do you think - will something bad happen if I don’t…”

“I do not know, Harry. It is your own path to follow. Draco Malfoy -” Harry started at the name “- is not the evil creature you think him to be. He is a boy who has followed what he believes to be his destiny.”


End file.
